What's new

Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Batman Begins (1 Viewer)

Jrf2

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
96
Real Name
James
I just watched it on a friend's DVE adjusted 65" Mitsubishi DLP in full 1080p and thought it looked a little too soft as well, at least compared to the last two films I watched on his display: No Country For Old Men and The Searchers.
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,385
Should mention my equipment: Sony PS3 [fw 2.41] via HDMI to a Sony KDS-60A3000 60" SXRD RPTV, 2007 model. I sit about 12.5 feet away (which is a bit far for "optimum viewing" which I believe is 9-11 feet for my screen size).

I own ~80 BDs of a wide range of film ages (The Searchers through There Will Be Blood) so I'm well aware that some films look softer/different than others. I appreciate film grain and do not expect all BDs to look like The Incredibles or a video game.

I do realize the IMAX preview was shot on 70mm vs. the Batman Begins transfer, but as Ken says, that should make a dramatic difference on a big screen, especially if shown via the different film sources. However on my 1080p set, sitting 12.5 feet away, the difference should be closer than what I perceive.

Going from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight prologue harkened back to when I hadn't gone to the eye doctor in several years and my prescription had changed a full power. It was like the whole world took on a new crispness. That's the marked difference I see between TDK-P and BB.

Also, a lot of other BDs I have of films from 2003-2007 look a lot sharper than BB.

If the AVS insider says the softness was due to the master and not the encode, then WB should have made a new master, especially given how TDK is coming out. I don't want this to be BD vs HD-DVD or AVC vs. VC-1. We know that both formats and both codecs are capable of stunning transfers. This isn't one of them and if the master is to blame, they should have made a new one. It's not like the original film elements of Batman Begins are lost or in need of costly restoration.

Overall, it's not a bad transfer [see: Robocop], but rather a disappointing one, given the age of the film and what I've seen done with other films that are its contemporary on Blu-Ray.

[EDIT] : I see someone on p1 of this thread called the transfer "filtered"--while I'm not 100% certain of the technical definition of that word, it sounds like a good descriptor of what I'm seeing. Like the sharpness was lost while looking through a slightly opaque (or blurry) filter.
 

Ron Reda

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2001
Messages
2,276
I got a good chance to check this out on my primary set up last night and I have to agree with what's been said here...this transfer DOES seem a little soft for my liking. I would have expected it to look a tad bit better so as Carlos said, I too am a tad bit disappointed. However, the blacks are just plain awesome! :D

One thing I'm wondering though... I have a 47" Westy LCD in my secondary system that I previewed this on when I first got it. This set has been known to have VERY little or even perhaps no overscan, so when we watch regular TV, we tend to see the tops of the transmission when watching 4:3 material. So, when I watched the prologue, I saw a pillarbox on either left/right side of the image that I presumed was attributed to the IMAX format. However, when I watched the prologue on my primary system last night (56" Sammy DLP), the bars were not there. Has anyone else seen these pillarboxes???
 

Tim Glover

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 12, 1999
Messages
8,220
Location
Monroe, LA
Real Name
Tim Glover
We watched the Blu-ray of Batman Begins last night and it's a wonderful disc indeed. Image and audio are terrific as is the HD-DVD I own. :)

The audio is certainly among the best ever. My only nitpick is sometimes the score gets a bit lost in the action but not a biggie. Dialouge is very clear...

The TrueHD LFE channel is simply a wonder. We're talking it's a terror for any wall decor! :cool:

My guests were wowed and I just sat there with that confident smile that said: "it's what I do". :D :)

The IMAX prologue of The Dark Knight did indeed look very, very good. And the audio packed a mighty punch. The gunshots were frightening. Imagine this in IMAX?! or when we get the lossless track on Blu-ray. :cool:

An excellent disc all around.
 

Brendan Surpless

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
71
Real Name
Brendan Surpless
Question for you all..

Is anyone experiencing any issues with the TrueHD track? In particular when I'm bitstreaming from my BD30 to my 605 I noticed the TrueHD icon doesn't light up but does on other titles like 'I Am Legend' or 'Cloverfield'.

I know the default track is set to DD. Typically when I select the TrueHD track on other titles like the above mentioned ones the icon does light up.

Anyone else experiencing this issue? Perhaps I have a defective disc..
 

Douglas Monce

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
5,511
Real Name
Douglas Monce

Are we sure that the softness is in the master and not a possible digital intermediary?

Doug
 

Zack Gibbs

Screenwriter
Joined
Sep 15, 2005
Messages
1,687

I noticed that about the film after getting the score. It didn't impress me in theaters but I liked it a lot by itself. On repeat viewings I found that the score was always drowned out, never given it's proper due.

At the time, of course, everyone was comparing it to Elfman's themes, I wonder if they kept it quite in part because of this?
 

Matt Hough

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
26,153
Location
Charlotte, NC
Real Name
Matt Hough
I just watched it tonight. In terms of softness, I'd say it might be slightly softer than the sharpest Blu-rays, but not enough to cause me the least bit of disappointment.

The True HD sound, however, was staggering. I think this is the first time the sound seemed not to push toward me as much as it completely engulfed me (as in over my head). It was as delicious a sound experience as I have ever had in my home theater.

(THE DARK KNIGHT prologue was also terrific.)
 

Brandon Conway

captveg
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2002
Messages
9,623
Location
North Hollywood, CA
Real Name
Brandon Conway
The disc isn't defective. There's a hardware problem with Blu-ray they have yet to work around regarding the Secondary Audio.

On titles encoded with BD-Java - which Batman Begins is - having the Secondary Audio option set to ON while bitstreaming TrueHD audio will cause just the regular Dolby Digital "core" of the TrueHD audio stream to be sent via bitstream through HDMI. If you turn Secondary Audio "OFF" you will get the full TrueHD audio signal; however, the button audio in the menus and the Picture-in-Picture audio for the In-Movie Experience will now be silent.

Setting the TrueHD firmware setting to PCM solves this problem on some players, but the Panasonic BD30 cannot currently decode TrueHD internally, so you're back to just the Dolby Digital "core".

Hope this makes sense. :) (And let's hope someone figures out a way around this annoying hardware issue with regards to TrueHD, BD-Java, Bitstream and Secondary Audio!)
 

Brendan Surpless

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
71
Real Name
Brendan Surpless
Thanks Brandon. Now I just have to look into the menu settings on the 605/BD30 and see where about I have to go to shut the Secondary Audio 'Off'.

I'll try this and report back.
 

Martin Henry

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
79
Location
Yer ma
Real Name
Yer Da
The Dark Knight prologue blew me away, not just in terms of audio and visual quality, but these six minutes are better than most +90min features I've seen recently.
 

Brandon Conway

captveg
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2002
Messages
9,623
Location
North Hollywood, CA
Real Name
Brandon Conway
No prob.

You'll find the Secondary Audio setting on the BD 30 after selecting Audio -> Digital Audio Output. It'll be on the bottom of the page where you can set the four audio types (DTS, DTS-MA, DD THD, DD) to "PCM" or "Bitstream".
 

Brendan Surpless

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
71
Real Name
Brendan Surpless

I know what you mean!! I've seen the prologue twice now and all the prologue has done was whet my appetite for the film even MORE!

I tried switching the Secondary Audio to 'Off'. Turns out the audio was 'Off'. I tried Walk Hard (which is a Profile 2.0 title) and the TrueHD icon did light up. Does this make sense?
 

Brandon Conway

captveg
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2002
Messages
9,623
Location
North Hollywood, CA
Real Name
Brandon Conway
Then there shouldn't be a problem. The regular DD 5.1 track is the one that defaults on. Maybe it's just a matter of selecting the TrueHD audio stream after loading the disc (stream 2/5 and not 1/5)?
 

Brendan Surpless

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
71
Real Name
Brendan Surpless

I made sure to select the TrueHD option. I spoke to my friend and he said there is a similar issue with 'V For Vendetta' on BD. This honestly annoys me because my HD-DVD copy was just fine and I only purchased the BD so I could fully hear the TrueHD option.

Either Justin or myself are going to email WB and ask them about this issue.

Thanks for your help though Brandon :)
 

Brandon Conway

captveg
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2002
Messages
9,623
Location
North Hollywood, CA
Real Name
Brandon Conway
It's similar to V for Vendetta because they both have Java menus. :)

There's something else going on with your firmware, because I've seen the TrueHD work on both titles with Panasonic 30's and Onkyo 605's.
 

jwt0001

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
Messages
1
Real Name
Joel
As an FYI, I could not get the disc to play the disc on my Sony S300. (The unit would reboot when it reached the beginning of the movie.) It turns out that there was a firmware update on 6/20 (going from 3.70 to 3.95). After I made the upgrade, the disc played fine.
 

Dave H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2000
Messages
6,152
I finally watched this tonight and thought it looked pretty good in terms of color production, contrast, shadows, etc. However, there is a smooth, grain-free look to much of the image where as it doesn't have much in the way fine detail. I can't help but think DNR was applied at some point.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,815
Messages
5,123,858
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top